Cover for elevator door hanger mechanism



May 25, 1943. H, w. LARsON COVER FOR ELEVTQR DOOR HANGER MECHANISMAfro/eA/Evf.

H. w` LARsoN COVER IFOR ELEVATOR DOOR HANGER MECHANISM May 25, 1943.

FiledApril s, 1941 zsheets-sneet/-z .m1/ENT fe m ,4 rra HNE/5.

Patented May 25, 1943 COVER FOR ELEVATOR DOOR HAN GER Y MECHANISM YVvHarry William Larson, Jamestown, N. Y., assigner Y to Art MetalConstruction Company, Jamestown, V`N. Y.

Y Application Apro s, 1941, serial No. stsa l 1 Claim. l (Cl. lli- 95)This Yinvention relates to improvements in cover means for the hangermechanisms of elevator doors. I Y y The hanger mechanismsor lmeans forslidably mounting'the doors of elevator shaft doorways are usuallyhoused in pockets or chambers provided in the inner sides of the frontwalls or structures Yof the elevator shafts above the door openings.VAtpresent most manufacturers of elevator doorsfprovide the containingpockets or chambersl for the door-hangers and their tracks with coversor closure means, which may consist of a large, single-piece, metalcover or-separate cover sections, that are hinged or made removable inorder to afford access to the hanger mechanisms for servicing the same.These covers as heretofore constructed, Whether in a single piece or insections, unless special care is exercised to tightly secure them inplace, are apt to ybe or become loose so that they are caused to rattleand make objectionable noise, due to the suction or vibration producedby the travel of the elevator cab in thefshaft. narily done only atinfrequent intervals of several months apart, and thecovers become dirtyand greasy. Since provision'must be madel for disposal ofthedirtyremovable lcovers during the time that the servicing work, is beingdone, itis not desirableffo-r workmen tovperform the servie-- ingoperations from within Vthe elevator cab. This, and the`difliculty ofopening or handling and replacing the covers, 'requires the work to bedone by one or more workmen on thel top of the cab, and in the case ofthe large, single-piece covers, which sometimes are over five feet long,the services of two men on top of the cab are required to removeandreplace the covers when servicing the hanger mechanisms. It isdiflicult to properly replace the long covers and there is always thepossibility that one may be improperly replaced or insecurely fastened,which would result in a loose condition, with consequent objectionablenoise.

The objects of this invention are to provide a practical and desirablecover for the elevator door hanger mechanisms of improved, novelconstruction, which will overcome these objections and enable ready andeasy access to the Ymechanism for servicing purposes; which will insurea tight closure of the cover and prevent objectionable noise; and whichmakes it possible for the servicing operations to be performed easilyand conveniently by a person working inside of the elevator cab.`

Further objects and advantages of the inven- The servicing is ordiJ tionwill appear from the following specification of the preferred embodimentof the invention, shown in the accompanying drawings, and thel novelfeatures'oil the invention are set forth in the appended claim.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation of the front wall or structure of anelevator shaft as seen from inside the shaft, provided with cover meansembodying my invention, for the door hanger mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan View thereof on line 2 2, Fig. 1, thisfigure, like Fig. 1, showing the cover means applied to an elevator doorunit of the two speed or Vdifferentially travelling double door type. 1

Figs. 3 and 4 are similar sectional plan views, but illustratingYapplications of the invention to elevator door units of the centralopening and single slide types respectively.

Fig. 5 is a transverse, sectional elevation,.en larged, on line 5'-5,Fig.' l. Y

Figs. 6 and 'l'are sectional elevations of th cover meansfon a stilllarger scale, on lines 6 6 and '1 1 respectively, Fig. 1.

f Fig. 8 'is a sectional plan View on line 8 8, Fig. 6',- showing one ofthe anti-rattling springs for the cover door.

' Referring first to the Figs. l and 2 embodiment of the invention: Y

f I0 indicates, in general, the front wall, frame or structure ofelevator shaft, II the door opening therethrough, and I2 and I3 the twoelevator doors adapted to slide at different speeds in one direction foropening the doors and in the opposite direction for closing them. Theelevator shaft may be of any Vusual-or suitable construction whichprovides the necessary elevator door opening and pocket or chamber abovethe door opening for the hanger mechanism for the doors. As illustratedin the drawings, the front of the elevator shaft structure includesupright jamb or side members I4 and I5 at opposite sides of the dooropening I I, an upright supporting member I6 spaced to one side of thedoor opening, and a horizontal head beam or lintel member II extendinghorizontally above the door opening and secured to the upright membersI4, I5 and I 6. The head beam or member I'I shown, which is of a formcommonly employed for the purpose, has upright and horizontal webportions forming a pocket or space for the door hangers and theirsupporting track (not shown) a forwardly projecting, horizontal lowerflange I8 over the door opening II, and a ange I9 which extends upwardlyfrom the rear edge of the horizontal web portion of the beam I1 and towhich the usual facing plate of the shaft is connected.

The cover which closes the rear side of the pocket or space 2|, in whichthe hanger mechanism is locatedy and covers or projects the hangermechanism, comprises a horizontally elongated, vertical metal plate 22which extends horizontally from one to the other of the upright membersI4 and I6 of the shaft structure, and is provided with an opening 23therethrough affording access to the hanger mechanism and adapted to beclosed by a sliding door or plate 24. The cover plate 22 is preferablysecured in place by tongues or clips at its ends projecting into andreleasably engaging the lower edges of slots 26 in the structuralupright members I4 and I6, and screws 21 which fasten the upper edge ofthe plate to the top flange I9 of the head beam I'I.

This cover plate is thus stationarily secured in position but can beeasily removed if occasion demands by removing the screws 2l anddisengaging the clips 25 from the slots 26. However, the cover plate 22does not havel to be removed for ordinary servicing operations on thedoor hanger mechanism and ordinarily remains secured in place, suchordinary servicing being performed through the opening 23 by simplysliding back the door plate 24 to uncover the opening. The door plate 24is mounted on the cover plate 22 to slide horizontally thereon insuitable guides preferably formed by channel members 28 welded orotherwise suitably fixed to the front or inner side of the cover plate22 above and below the opening 23 so that the door plate 24 can be slidhorizontally from a position in which it covers the opening to a sideposition in which it uncovers the opening to aii'ord access therethroughto the hanger mechanism in the pocket 2|.

In order to prevent looseness and rattling of the door plate 24, springmeans are provided which press the door plate 24 yieldingly against itsguides. Spring tongues or strips are shown for this purpose, eachriveted at one end to the door plate, at the top and bottom edgeportions thereof, with the spring tongues arranged 1 to slide and bearyieldingly against the outer flanges of the guide channels 28. The freeportion of each spring tongue is preferably of cgee or S curvature,having convexed portions adapted to bear against both the face of thedoor plate and the opposed flange of the guide channel 28 so as toeffectually press the door plate yieldingly against the other nanges ofthe guide channels. Thus, looseness and rattling of the door withconsequent noise, due to the suction or vibration caused by the movementof the elevator cab, is prevented.- A socket 3| is shown in the doorplate in which a tool can be inserted to serve as a handle for openingand closing the door.

The door opening 23 of the cover plate should, of course, be of suchsize and so located as to afford most convenient and adequate access tothe hanger mechanism for servicing purposes. In the above describedembodiment which refers to an installation for the two speed doors, thecover opening 23 can be located, as shown, over the inner of the twodoors only, since with this type of door, both door hanger mechanismscan be brought opposite the opening. Y

In the single door embodiment illustrated in Fig- 4, the constructionmay be like that described, except that the cover opening 23a is madepractically the full width of the elevator door and is located above thedoor when it is closed. This construction requires moreroom at one sideof the cover opening to enable the, necessary movement of the longercover door to completely uncover the opening. Y

In the center opening elevator doorembodiment shown in Fig. 3, theconstruction-diners from the others principally in that thev coveropening 23h extends for approximately the full zontally above theelevator door, closure means for said chamber comprising a horizontallyelongated cover secured in place over and covering that side of saidchamber which faces toward the elevator cab, said cover having anopening therethrough to afford access to the hanger mechanism withinsaid chamber, horizontal guides onl said cover adjacent the top andbottom edges of said opening and extending beyond an endV of the openinga distance equal to a substantial portion of the length of said opening,a door plate slidably supported by said guides to slide horizontally toand from a closed position inwhich it covers said opening to an openposition at one side of said opening, and spring tongues secured to saiddoor plate and each slidably bearing against one of said guides foryieldingly pressing the door plate against said guides to preventrattling of the door plate.

HARRY WILLIAM LARSON.

